Animoca Brands wins Abu Dhabi fund management license as crypto VC cools

Animoca Brands announced on November 2 that its subsidiary Animoca Asset Management (AD) Limited received Financial Services Permission No. 250097 from Abu Dhabi’s FSRA, effective October 13, 2026, to manage collective investment funds in or from the Abu Dhabi Global Market. The permission covers non-retail clients only and does not allow the subsidiary to control client assets, so future funds must use another entity for custody. It follows a 2025 in-principle approval. No funds or investment commitments have been announced, and the move comes as global crypto venture funding fell to about $4.5 billion across 296 deals in Q3 2026, down 20% from the prior quarter.